News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | September 14, 2025
Local News
Emmaus Church Road project causing frustrations, expected to be completed by Spring 2027
The ongoing replacement of the Emmaus Church Road (Route 106) bridge that spans across Interstate 64 has already caused a lot of headaches for many. And New Kent supervisors wanted reasons why it was being done at this time. Philip Frazier of Virginia’s Department of Transportation (VDOT) spoke on the project at Monday night’s regular county meeting of the board of supervisors. Currently, the bridge has one lane of traffic open with a temporary traffic light. The light has caused several delays and back-ups, particularly in the morning time. Those concerns have spilled over to county leaders, who asked for…
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New Kent Board of Supervisors plan to opt into Spring VRA pool to address water issues
New Kent’s Board of Supervisors have elected to wait until Spring 2026 to address issues regarding water concerns within the county. County leaders declined joining the VRA Fall pool at Monday night’s regular meeting, electing to opt for the VRA Spring pool to invest in. Over the last month at both the August regular meeting and August work session, New Kent Public Utilities Director Mike Lang addressed county leaders about water issues plaguing the Brickshire subdivision and New Kent Highway systems. Lang spoke about the need for both projects due to the lack and dwindling water pressure, emphasizing that the…
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Charles City grand jury hands up indictments
A Charles City grand jury handed up indictments as part of Tuesday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court: –Derek Tracy Croom, 60, of the 2200 block of Queen Street, Portsmouth, on two counts of assault and battery on a law enforcement officer. The offenses allegedly took place on June 9, 2024. –Amanda Lynn Walker, of Charles City, on one count each of uttering/forgery and misdemeanor petty larceny. The offenses allegedly took place on Aug. 14.
Charles City Sheriff’s Office issues 52 summonses over holiday weekend
Charles City County Sheriff’s Office issued 52 summonses as part of Aug. 30 sobriety checkpoints conducted within the county. In a press release from Sheriff Jayson Crawley, approximately 534 vehicles were checked over a six-hour period. Summonses were issued for violations that included driving suspended, expired tags, and expired state inspections. Seven vehicles were impounded as a result of violations. “This is just our continued commitment to ensuring roadways of the Commonwealth, especially in Charles City County are safe,” Crawley said in a press release. “Along with this, we continued saturated patrols throughout the holiday weekend.” No fatalities occurred within…
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Makemie Woods starts to get attention for park conversion in New Kent
Back in 2022, New Kent County purchased Makemie Woods for $1.025 million. Now in 2025, a little more headway is in the works as the property is beginning the first phases in transitioning into a park in the eastern portion of the county. New Kent County Parks and Recreation Director Kim Turner provided county leaders with an update during Friday morning’s New Kent Board of Supervisors work session. Turner spoke about the 274-acre property and the current buildings on the property. While a 8900-square foot lodge/dining building, a director’s house (2,000 square feet), main hall (6,000 square feet), and 12…
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New Kent leaders ponder how to financially address water issues after receiving more information
New Kent County leaders will have to make a decision on how to handle the dwindling water supply in certain parts of the locality. During the Aug. 11 regular meeting of the board of supervisors, New Kent Public Utilities Director Mike Lang spoke about water issues plaguing the Brickshire subdivision and New Kent Highway systems. During Friday morning’s work session, Lang returned to address and discuss ways and provide more details on the situations. Lang opened by commenting that the Brickshire elevated storage tank and connecting waterlines were operating at 36 PSI (pressure per square inch). Normal operations should see…
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New Kent County Public Schools excel on SOLs; Charles City County Public Schools improve in 10 subjects
New Kent County Public Schools continue to excel when it comes to meeting the requirements of the Virginia Standards of Learning tests. New Kent posted a 75 percent or better pass rate in 22 categories as recorded in results released by the Virginia Department of Education. Passing rates eclipsed the 90th percentile in End of Course Reading (92), Algebra I (91), and Algebra II (92). Eighty percent of New Kent students passed in the areas of Grade 7 English Reading, Grade 8 English Reading, End of Course Writing, Civics and Economics, World History I, Grade 3 Mathematics, Grade 4 Mathematics,…
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Charles City terminates leasing agreement for neighborhood facility building
An agreement for the lease of Charles City’s Neighborhood Facility Building has been terminated. Charles City’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to end an agreement with MIT for the rental of the facility at the request of Charles City County Administrator Keith Rogers. By terminating the agreement, the county waived approximately $70,000 owed for taxes as the company had contributed $200,000 for upgrades to the facility. Terminating the agreement is the second substantial item county leaders have addressed in the last week, with Diode Ventures electing to pull their application to rezone several acres of land for the construction of…
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Urge to steal from New Kent store results in drug convictions for duo
A woman’s urge to steal items from a store resulted in her and a companion being arrested and pleading guilty to drug possession charges. Shayna Elizabeth Hudgins, 30, of the 400 block of Partridge Landing Road, Shacklefords, and Brandon Keith Davis, 34, of the 2000 block of Tillage Lane, Gloucester, entered guilty pleas to one count each of possession of a Schedule I/II drug as part of plea agreements reached during Monday morning cases in New Kent Circuit Court. Hudgins also entered guilty pleas to one count each to an amended charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor…
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Diode Ventures pulls application, permits for construction of data center in Charles City
The saga to rezone agricultural land to commercial and industrial for the construction of a data center in Charles City County has come to an end. In a press release, Diode Ventures pulled its application for rezoning on Aug. 18 in a letter to Charles City County after community feedback. Moreso, it was community opposition. For the past two years, Diode Ventures have proposed the construction of a data center near the Roxbury Industrial Park. According to Diode, the location would have garnered at least 800 jobs and produced $258 million in revenue over the next 20 years. But during…
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